End-times view wins devotees

`Left Behind' series sells in the millions

April 12, 2005|By Frances Grandy Taylor, Courant Staff Writer.

In the decade since the first book in the best-selling series "Left Behind" was published, "end times" philosophy -- the end of history as prophesied in the Book of Revelation, the Bible's last chapter -- has gone mainstream.

The 12-book series has become a publishing phenomenon that has sold more than 62 million copies and generated revenues of $650 million, with each book spending weeks near or at the top of best-seller lists. The "Left Behind" book series for children has sold more than 11 million copies in the past six years. Devotees of the series can receive "mobile prophecies" from Scripture sent to their cell phones, or subscribe to the "Prophecy Club" to receive a newsletter to help them interpret signs of the Apocalypse.

Events like Sept. 11, the tsunami disaster or a surge in violence in the Middle East help to renew interest in the series, says Beverly Rykerd, publicist for "Left Behind."

"People say, `Is this evidence that we are living in the end times?' " she said. "Left Behind" is not tied to any particular event in recent history, she added. "It's based on biblical prophecy."

"The Rising: Antichrist Is Born Before They Were Left Behind," the newest book in the series, hit stores March 1. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, the authors, describe their books as "fiction based on biblical fact." The pair also has produced a non-fiction book, "Are We Living in the End Times?"

The return of Jesus Christ to Earth -- which is known as the Second Coming -- is a cornerstone of all Christian theology. For evangelical Christians, the period before Christ's return is called the Rapture.

"The Rising," a prequel to "Left Behind," looks at the lives of the books' characters -- including little Nicky Carpathia, still just a boy, but known to be the Antichrist by readers of the "Left Behind" books -- before the Rapture and Judgment Day.

The Rapture is said to be the time when believing Christians will be raised to heaven and spared Tribulation -- the seven years that follow. These are years of war, earthquakes, hailstorms, volcanoes, disease, plagues of locusts and the rise of the Antichrist. The "Left Behind" time line details the horrors: burning mountains, the darkening of the sun, the seas and rivers turning to blood, an intensely hot sun scorching people. Then finally, at the end of Tribulation, the Antichrist is thrown into the Lake of Fire, and all the armies of the world are destroyed in the battle of Armageddon. Christ returns again, followed by 1,000 years of peace.

Rapture belief

Belief in the Rapture began to flourish in America in the late 19th century. The Rev. John N. Darby, a Protestant Irish missionary, influenced many American preachers and evangelists of the time with his apocalyptic biblical interpretation. As the belief grew, Christian ministers began to support the idea of a Jewish state in Palestine, a necessary element that precedes Christ's return. End times theology also says there will be 144,000 witnesses -- many of them Jews -- who convert to Christianity as Tribulation begins.

While Christ's return is the core belief of all Christian denominations, there is a wide range of opinion on the meaning of the events described in the Book of Revelation.

Changing views

The Rev. Will Marrotti, pastor of New Life Church in Meriden, Conn., said his understanding of the meaning of the end times has changed over the years. While he believes the Bible is the literal word of God, "the problem is that the Book of Revelation is written with a literal interpretation, and some parts are symbolic." Marrotti said that has led, for example, to futile discussions about who is the Antichrist.

Over the decades, world leaders from popes to politicians have been accused of being the Antichrist, the satanic being whose birth and rise to power is a key precursor to the Apocalypse. Adolf Hitler, Yasser Arafat, Nikita Khrushchev, Ayatollah Khomeini, Mikhail Gorbachev, Anwar El-Sadat, Henry Kissinger and Bill Gates have all been mentioned over the years as possibilities. Many theologians believe Nero Cesar, who ruthlessly persecuted early Christians, is the person referred to in the Bible.

"I'm more concerned with teaching our folks about how God wants us to live today," Marrotti said.

The Rev. Jesse White, pastor of the Church of Living God in Hartford, Conn., said the "Left Behind" series "has brought to the forefront a portion of the Bible that people don't pay attention to. It's a wonderful thing. People need to be made aware that life is a great spiritual journey, and the larger [issue] is what we need to do as a country and in the world to prepare ourselves for the end."

But Gordon L. Isaac, an assistant professor of Advent Christian Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass., bluntly calls the end-times prophecy as portrayed in the "Left Behind" series "bogus theology."

"It's a form of Christianity that I find troubling," he said, in part because the series is the first exposure some people have to the Christian faith. "I don't agree that it is found in Scripture, and it does not do justice to the God of the Bible who deals with people in justice and equity."

Isaac, who is writing a book about the series, said such beliefs also create a worldview among some Christians that has real-world implications.

"If you buy into this form of Christianity, you commit yourself to a particular form of politics and foreign policy," Isaac said. "There is considerable pressure President Bush feels from this part of his constituency in regard to the Middle East."

Isaac said he also dislikes that those immersed in end-times philosophy are encouraged to believe they are recipients of "insider knowledge" of the real meaning of the Bible.